Relationship with Senate Flashcards
Respected the senate
asked them for “these privileges as a favour” :
- wishing to bring the praetorian prefect + some military tribunes into the Senate House
- asked the consuls if he could hold market fairs on his PRIVATE estates
In trials
-sat on the ADVISORY council of magistrates(when they were conducting trials)
In games
-when magistrates were presiding over public games he rose with the audience and hailed+applauded the magistrates
Humble
did not accept excessive honourifics
refused the praenomen imperator
-betrothal of daughter + birthday of grandson celebrated only privately
Consulships
Only held four our consulships AD42,43,47,51
3 lasted 6months and taken over from a consul who had died The last only lasted 2months
As a judge he was
most conscientous
Sat in court on his own birthday, those of his family, days of ill omen, popular holidays
Didn’t always observe the law, guided by his own sense of equity altering the punishment accordingly
His behaviour in court, however, contradictory
varied unpredictably
Careful and keen witted, thoughtless and hasty, downright foolish, out of his sense
something argued not to be for Claudius
A juror challenged with a lawsuit argued that it was a matter for the civil courts and did not need to be brought before caesar, Claudius ordered it be brought before him at once.
strange methods
A woman refused to admit she was the mother of a young man, he ordered her to marry him.
Decided against whichever party was absent, did not ask if this might have been unavoidable.
A wrangle about whether someone accused of wrongfully posing as a Roman citizen should wear a Greek mantle or Roman toga in court. Made the man wear a mantle when being accused and a toga when being defended.
“I decide in favour of the party who is telling the truth”
influenced in the courts (eratic)
A man guilty of forgery, a bystander shouted that he should have his hands cut off had this acted upon
What did this eratic behaviour do to him
brought him into open and widespread contempt
He was abused (makes him seem weak) and the reasons
“Old people I know have told me” that litigants would call him bAck when he had closed the court but would catch at the hem of his toga or foot to detain him.
A Greek got frustrated “you’re an old man too and an idiot to boot!”
Roman eques falsely accused obscene behaviour against women saw Claudius admitting the evidence of common prostitutes he hurled stylus+wax tablets in his fAce badly gnashing his cheek “a curse on your stupid, cruel ways”
Circus Maximus
Circus Maximus- Reserved seats for the senators (hitherto had sat among the common people.
public officials who wished to travel abroad
Senate used to consider their applications, now Claudius reserved the right to deal with them personally
Some provinces
Claudius restored provinces that had been in Tiberius’ own jurisdiction to the senate.
